What type of substrate should I use?

Question

Originally, I just wanted gravel in my 55 gallon, so thats the way I set it up. But now, I want to put substrate in there so I can plant more plants and create a ground cover. 1) Can I put the substrate in there with the fish in the tank, or should I take them out? I have a bunch of fish. 2) what kind of substrate should I use? Could I get away without any?

Answer 1

you can get away with no substrate if doing fish only, however with plants you ened something...

in truth GRAVEL is best for planted tanks.  sand compacts and forms pockets and needs to be vacumed regularly and VERY throughly which disrupts your plants and can cause issues...

dirt is impossible to keep in a tank if you dont want murky water...

a nice sized gravel (nothing too large) actually is one of the best substrates for a tank, the roots will grow through the gravel easily and gravel requires less frequent vacuming.

you can plant with your fish still in there but if your changing substrates youd probably do best moving your fish untill the dust settles...

Answer 2

Sand   yes sand is the best to use. It allows the roots to spread out and also creates a good sanctuary for burowing cats and loaches.

Answer 3

Yes actually you can use some. They sell some at petco for fishtanks. The sand cannot have any sillica. I really don't reccomend this because it'll make your tank all cloudy. I would use a bear tank or gravel. Also the filter for sand is hard to find, since you can't use a normal filter you have to buy one that's for sand.